Phillip Seymour Hoffman: Confirmed for Catching Fire!

The Catching Fire casting rumor has become an exciting reality: Philip Seymour Hoffman is coming on board The Hunger Games sequel.

According to an E! News source, the Oscar nominee has agreed to star in the second installment of this trilogy as Plutarch Heavensbee, the Gamesmaker who takes over for Seneca Crane following events in the original.

Says the site's insider: "The deal was made right before the Fourth of July holiday."

Hoffman most recently appeared on Broadway, alongside Andrew Garfield, in a revival of Arthur Miller's Death of Salesman. He'll join the Catching Fire cast when shooting begins this fall.

Jena Malone, meanwhile, has been offered the sought after role of Johanna Mason in the same film.